Improvement in umbrellas



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE HOTOHKISS, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN UMBRELLAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,587, dated October 2l, 1865.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE HorcHKrss, of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Umbrellas and Parasols; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-- Figure l is a longitudinal section of' this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the employment y or use ot' a stick of wood or other elastic sub-A stance covered with sheet metal, such as iron, brass, 0r zine, in place ofthe ordinary lnetallic tube generally used for umbrella and parasol handles, with metallic and other framesin such amannerthatthe operatiqnofbrazingthemetal tube can be dispensed with and a stronger, lighter, and better handle is produced at less cost than the ordinary metallic handles.

The invention consists, also, in the application to the runner of a spring-catch, the point of which drops into a small hole when the runner has reached the desired position, in such a manner that no long slot is required in the handle for the purpose of holding the spring generally used for stopping the runner, and consequently the full strength of the handle is preserved.

A represents the handle of an umbrella or parasol, made of a stick, a., of wood or other suitable elastic material, which is covered with sheet metal, b, such as iron, brass, or zinc.

In practice the sheet metal is rolled round the stick a., and when once applied it requires no brazing, an operation which weakens the ordinary metallic handles, on account of the great heat requisite 5 and, furthermore, I am enabled to use lighter material, because the metal in my handle is not to be heated after it has been rolled on the stick, and consequently its full strength is preserved.

My handle is also capable of a higher and more uniform inish, avoiding the unequal surface caused by the solder owing over the tube in brazing, whereby thejapan in the finished tube is caused to wear oit' on such spots where the smooth surface ot' the brass covers the surface ot the iron.

My handle requires no grinding. After the metal has been rolled on itis tit for japanning, andthe varnish adheres toit uniformly throughout, and is not liable to scale oh".

B is the runner, which I use in preference to the ordinary runner. The ordinary tubular handlehas two slots sawed in it to receive the spring-catch which holds the runner in the requisite positions. These slots mar the beauty of theY handle and weaken the same, and in order to avoid these difculties I attach a springcatch, d, on the runner, and the point ot' this spring-catch is made to drop into small holes cin the handle. By these means the umbrella or parasol is more easily and expeditiouslyopened, and the full strength of the handle is preserved.

My invention has no relation to the use of ferrules to fortil'y certain defined parts ot wooden handles, nor to the use ofpieces of Wood inserted in the contiguous parts of sections ot tubes to unite them together.

l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- An umbrella or parasol handle ot' wood or other elastic material covered with metal, as

described.

HORACE HOTGHKISS. Witnesses:

W. HAUEF,

C. L. TOPLIEE. 

